Juan Diaz Returns to Friday Night Fights on July 29

Former lightweight titleholder Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz will return to the ring on July 29, main eventing ESPN2's Friday Night Fights against David Torres, according to Dan Rafael.

Diaz (35-4, 17 KO) hasn't fought since July 2010, when he lost a rematch to Juan Manuel Marquez in what was a fairly listless performance on HBO pay-per-view. The two had engaged in the consensus Fight of the Year in February 2009, but Diaz was coming off of back-to-back mediocre performances against Paul Malignaggi for the rematch, and seemed far less interested in engaging in a real dust-up the second time around against Marquez.

Overall, the 27-year-old from Houston has lost four of his last six dating back to 2008. He's fought nothing but legitimate fighters in those bouts, but to say the bloom came off the rose with Diaz starting with his loss to Nate Campbell would be an understatement. He went from top lightweight to lightweight contender to current afterthought in what seemed like quite a hurry.

His comeback opponent will be David Torres (21-2-2, 13 KO), a 33-year-old veteran from Washington state, who has fought mostly at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma. He's a natural junior welterweight, and while Diaz has indicated he intends to return to the lightweight division, a quick tune-up stop at 140 (or some catchweight thereabouts) is understandable.

Rafael also reports that the card will feature former lightweight champion Joel Casamayor, who turns 40 a couple of weeks before the fight date and has looked rotten since dropping the lightweight crown to Marquez in September 2008. No opponent has been named.